The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-05-18
The slavery to Animals.

jacksonville has petitioned the legis-
lature for permission to punish wanton
cruelty to animals. We would endorse
the request, but beg at the same time
some legal protection against the cruel
slavery inflicted ON us by some animals
of q nondescript breed. This has become
uncomfortable and the injustice must be
abated soon, if we kindle another war to
cut the intricate knot of our difficulties,
like Alexander with the sword.
We all remember how pathetically
Dickens describes the condition of the
man who had been thoroughly subdued
and made slave to dog. The poor man
was compelled to accompany his mas
ter around in dark alleys, make acquaint-
ances with strange and disreputable
companions and spend money and time
in the glorifcation of the boss brute. Is
not this positive slavery from which the
victim should be relieved by the watch
full guardianship of kind government?
There is a case of worse servitude in
Florida. More onereus than the yoke of
the English bull dog is the tyranny of
the Florida hog. Here the master re-
fuses to associate with the slave. Worth
less alive or dead-uncouth in shape,
vicious in temper, the razor back values
independence more than all else
and ranges the woods in as utter con-
tempt of the laborer and with Ii
cense to plumber on his native heath
as unlimited as was ever claimed by Rob
Roy McGregor. As his prototype
gathered the fiocks and harvests of the
Sassenach and summed only the walled
towns and guarded castles, so the Florida
hog taxes all not strongly fortified. He
compels his slaves to guard their pos
sessions with barricades and he breaks
these save where he knows the guns are
loaded. He ranges the woods for plumber
he tires of grass and nuts and wrests
the dainties of the lakes from his kins-
man, the alligator. Tired of quiet in
dependence he attacks the fields and
ravages them at pleasure. He is
armed for war with long
snout like the 'gator-his shoulders
are protected by a coat of mail-his
strong back arches proudly in bow
and his bristles float in the airs of battle
like the plume of Henry of Navarro.
Yet he is not always reckless, and when
he believes discretion the better part of
valor he vies in speed with the race
horse.
Thus armed and equipped for the SER
vice of his father, the devil, the razor
back has met the people of East Florida
and they are his. He compels his slaves
to watch his young carefully during the
spring and summer for he fears the bear
and wildcat and panther except when he
is prepared for the combat and
can oppose to their appetite his
well trained phalanx which is firm as
that of Macedon and has been taught the
arts of attack as well as defence. When
his young no longer needs their fathers
slaves for protection against their natu-
raj enemies, he leads the whole family
into the depths of the hammocks and
revels in lawless and fearless independ-
ence. Even the panther dare only at
tack his forces in detail. His tusk is
proof against the paw of the bear. He
charges recklessly his cousin. the gator,
takes possession of his Shiny beds, and
each takes a horrible pleasure in devour-
ing the children of the other. The hog
seldom shrinks from the saurian even in
deep water, but on the land he charges
in utter confidence.
This beast, so terrible, compels our
people to fortify their borders and main
tain standing army like European. ma
tons. Our red brothers murdered us
and Drained our women and children,
but they put no tax so heavy on us as
the hog has succeeded in doing. To
guard against his rdrdges the people of
Putnam far Themselves more than ten
thousand dollars per annuDa. We may
have little to eat, the clothing may be
cheapened and the children stopped
from school, but the hog tax must be
be paid. The collector of revenue for
county and state may sell us out because
we cannot find the money he demands.
but no one ever thinks of neglecting his